Atlas Workshops are different from most short-term travel programs. Our approach is simple: Explore: We engage experts, ideas, and communities to understand the topic and destination. Learn: We make sense of what we have discovered. We analyze and expand

Location:

印度新德里;克罗地亚萨格勒布;河内,越南; Multi-Country Programs, Multi-Country Programs; Rabat, Morocco

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

We aim to change the way students engage the world. We lead short-term international trips for high school students that explore current global challenges and open up some of the most amazing destinations in the world. Our workshops build partnerships, develop real-world skills, promote cultural confidence, and inspire ideas for the long-term. With Atlas Workshops, students explore, learn, and create on a global level.

Atlas Workshops are different from most short-term travel programs. Our approach is simple: Explore: We engage experts, ideas, and communities to understand the topic and destination. Learn: We make sense of what we have discovered. We analyze and expand on the ideas and concepts. We dig deeper and wider to put ideas in context. Create: We share and expand on what we learned. Every student is responsible for creating something as a part of their workshop: A blog, a project, a website, a photo essay, a prototype, a chapter in an e-book. Every workshop is a short term research trip. We spend approximately 2-3 weeks in the field gathering key information, meeting with experts, conducting field interviews, or completing research activities. Depending on the workshop this research will be turned into a story or project during the field workshop or a post-trip prototyping and development phase will allow student to develop specific projects further. Each workshop has a staff of 2-3 leaders. Workshop leaders have a combination of international education experience, research and journalism skills, and topic or regional expertise. We keep our workshops small–about 10-15 students so every student can spend time developing their projects and discussing the themes and ideas of the trip with the workshop leaders.

We choose new topics and destinations each year in order to keep our workshops current and cutting-edge. Having a research focus offers our participants insider-access to the cultures and communities we visit – rather than as tourists, we visit new places as researchers and engaged collaborators. We design our projects so that students can synthesize what they have learned, and often work in close partnership with local organizations. On our Right to the City: Brazil workshop, students met with government officials, city planners, residents’ groups, and NGOs to study urban planning in anticipation of the 2016 Olympics. The group, as part of NuVu Studio in Cambridge, created an interactive story-telling website, a twitter users’ guide for local organizations, an android app for sharing local stories, and an online guide to alternative housing in Rio. Students on our South India: Education for All workshop explored five locations in India through the lens of school reform. Our participants worked collaboratively with students in Tamil Nadu to design and test curriculum for an after-school program. The group has recorded their observations in a multimedia web-based storytelling project, Writings on the Wall.

Setting Description:

For Summer 2014, we will offer six fantastic opportunities to engage the world: Smarter Cities: Scandinavia – How Do we Design Cities for the 21st Century? From climate change to congestion, today’s cities face a growing list of challenges. How can new technologies create smarter cities capable of meeting our changing lifestyles? Starting in Copenhagen, we will explore Scandinavia’s most innovative cities and develop ways to share their successes with the world. A Generation of Entrepreneurs: Vietnam – How Can Vietnam Leverage its Youth as a Competitive Resource? Vietnam’s population is incredibly young, motivated, and increasingly creative. The country seeks to promote innovation to become a global leader. We will work with schools, youth groups, and entrepreneurship organizations to understand how Vietnam is catalyzing its youth to lead the country. Healthcare for Everyone: South India – How Does India Balance Traditional and Western Medicine? South India has made cutting-edg

Cost:

Atlas Workshops is competitively-priced with other international student programs. Our inclusive tuition ranges from $5,500 to $6,500, depending on length of stay, airport departure cities, destination and itinerary. Tuition includes group airfare from departure city (usually Boston or NYC), all travel and research expenses, travel insurance, leadership and logistics, content, and meals.